Hey Joe

   Got together with the family for Easter / 4-20 where there was a fine collection of Joes.

   And some adorable great-nephews.

Dr. Mo

 

  Let's hear it for Dr. Mo Jarin! One of my all-time favorite IHS grads and all-around amazing person.  I've never been anything but proud and in awe of her.

Update:  Look who showed up in Ithaca for a few hours-

 

 I almost got to go to NYC with her, but it wasn't to be.  I'll have to go to Atlanta someday.
 

The Chaos Continues

  The current state of the economy.

  

  Zelensky, and the guy from Tesla have set precedent suits are no longer necessary when visiting the White House.

  

  We have to do more than laugh, but we don't have to stop laughing.
 

Still Working

 

 Some kids were trying to work out the pronunciation of my name and came up with this perfect moniker to add to a long list of names I've been called over the years.  The best part was neither of them knew what "mayhem" meant.

  

 My coworkers decided our room needed some new banners and signs to post around the room.  A student who sometimes eats lunch with us noted a flag on the bottom and called our attention to the stars and bars on it.

   The kids went all out to throw me a birthday party (to get out of having class).  I am forbidden from posting any of their pictures, but here's the pile of confetti I took out of my pocket.  We had a discussion about garbage, litter, plastic in our cells and curmudgeons.

 

Round Town

  

A neighbor found a new spot to park.  Might not be too exciting to you, but this was the first time I'd seen a car there in over 20 years.

 

 Cornell is under construction.  Stone buildings only last about 130 years before they need some repairs.  It's been over a year since the top of the bell tower was open, I'm hoping it's ready before graduation. 

  Sometimes, they put up a new building.  I wandered through this one on the morning of my birthday when I had some time to kill before going to work.  It hosts the Center for Sustainability.  There's some cool tree art, and a nice view of the Botanical Garden.

  

Also on my birthday, I strolled by the hawk nest on Tower Rd and saw the male fly to the nest.  It was easy to find the spot on the feed posted on the hawk cam and see myself on the internets.

  Still no snow on my birthday, but there was some in late April.  None of the eggs froze and one has hatched at the time of this post.

 

A hawk in Six Mile Creek got into a bit of a jam when it held onto a squirrel too long and its leg got wedged into the crotch of a tree.  A friend, Radaa, found it, took this pic and called someone from the Lab of O.  They showed up with someone from a hawk rescue and they released it.  The squirrel died. 

   The botanic gardens and various spots around campus are looking pretty seasonal.  Be sure to visit often if you get the chance.                                                                                                                                    

    The apartments being built at the old Ithaca Gun site are coming along.

    Not sure what the "function" is, but I bet sales increased once the put up the sign.

  Cascadilla Gorge is still closed, but the masons fixing the steps are not pissing in the creek.  Not sure why.

   

  The bell tower is still closed.
 

 

Nice Stone

 

  

I got a few of these nice Batavia Sandstone stones from a contact in the city a few years ago when they had been tossed aside during work in the gorge.  This one went nicely in front of the kayak rack, but I foolishly had another idea for it.

   All I had to do was roll it on some pipes and boards about 60'. 

  At the other spot, I just made a bed of gravel to put it on and then filled around it.  Not this time.

     It took some maneuvering with various tools, levers and adding or taking out gravel. 

  Nice fit, and I have since chipped off that corner that stuck up.  We can now drive over that spot and not worry about the rock cracking like what was there.  Wonder where I'll move the others?

Entertainment Abounds

 

Gail and I went all the way to Homer for an Eilen Jewell concert.  She's a favorite singer-songwriter with an awesome band.  Every time I've got a chance to hear Jerry Miller I've just been shocked at what he does.

The State Theater showed Cheech and Chong's "Up In Smoke" for 4/20.  I saw it when I was in high school and for whatever reason, couldn't remember a single part of it.  It has held up OK, people still smoke pot and make jokes about it.

  A friend at work wasn't playing his banjo, and I was able to pass it along to one of our former students.  It gives me great hope that there is a cool young woman in Israel picking a tune sometimes.